Dumbledore and Aizen
by itsreallyhardtofindagoodname
Summary: What if Dumbledore and Aizen, the respective manipulators of Harry Potter and Bleach, had a conversation with each other with no prior knowledge of the other's existence? This is my answer to that question.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Bleach. This was created merely for my own entertainment.

Author's Notes: This is a one-shot. It grew out of a vague idea: What if Dumbledore and Aizen, the respective manipulators of Harry Potter and Bleach, had a conversation with each other with no prior knowledge of the other's existence? This is my answer to that question.

Now let us begin!

Albus Dumbledore hummed merrily to himself as he strolled through this place. How he had gotten here, he had no idea. How to get back, no idea. Given his circumstances, Albus might as well indulge himself.

This new place or dimension or whatever was rather dull, though. There was nothing but mist and fog and brick floor tiles that were rather large in size.

Then, out of nowhere, a figure surfaced.

Aizen Sosuke stepped out of the fog. In front of him was a man. Hardly just a man, though. One oddity was that this man's hair and beard were both longer than his waist and so white that they seemed to reflect light. Another was that his nose was oddly crooked, as though it had been broken once. The man's blue eyes twinkled with what positively reeked of hidden knowledge.

What surprised Aizen most was not his appearance, however, but the fact that the man was surely human yet sported reiatsu rivaling that of a Gotei captain.

The man broke the silence. "Well, I must say, this place is rather lacking in features. You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you? You see, I, for one, am at a loss."

Aizen returned smoothly, "I regret to say that I haven't an inkling either. But, you said that you found here to be rather bland? I fear we must agree to disagree on that count, as I have found this place to be most fascinating."

The man merely smiled serenely. "Well, there are some who find interest in the minutest details. I admit, however, that I am surprised that you speak my language with such fluency. You appear to hail from a more oriental society, am I correct?"

"You are perceptive beyond your years," Aizen smiled. "I am Japanese in origin."

"Indeed. However, it would be remiss to judge someone based purely on age." The man peered at him shrewdly. "Would you that we converse in your native tongue? I am well-versed in Japanese, you see."

"No, I am fine," spoke Aizen. "I don't recall you telling me your name?"

The man's expression turned grave. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. Forgive my lack of manners. My full name is, I'm sorry to say, exceedingly long and difficult to remember. But you need not take my word for it. Here it is: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Aizen's smile didn't waver at all. "No, not at all. And I, in turn, apologize for not revealing my name to you earlier. I am Aizen Sosuke, though, of course, according to your naming conventions, that would be Sosuke Aizen."

He had acquired a lot from that little exchange. This man, he could tell at once, was a manipulator on par with himself, and thusly impossible to verbally outmaneuver. Aizen's smile widened imperceptibly. With him, though, easy became already done, difficult became effortless, and impossible became impossibly easy. This Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore would prove interesting to experiment with.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, had not gleaned nearly as much, owing to his wider span of interest. He could not tell if this Aizen was a master of disguise or merely a well-educated wanderer. And though his tone of voice suggested a schemer, it could well be that he was merely a scholar on a quest to acquire knowledge. Quite a conundrum, if you will.

"What is your goal in life?" he asked lightly.

Aizen did not seem remotely surprised at this seemingly random subject change. Instead, he seemed to adapt to the situation even further. "That is quite a personal question, Mr. Dumbledore. You only met me five minutes ago, yet you feel comfortable enough to ask me such a question?"

"Forgive me," replied Dumbledore lightly. "You seem the type to be a seeker of knowledge, like myself. I was merely-"

"No, I understand completely," interjected Aizen. "I myself am fascinated with these kinds of things as well. In answer to your question, I am a accomplisher. I am forever trying to achieve things others have well deemed impossible. I am a reformer of sorts, if you will. I reform that which I believe myself to be correct upon. That is all."

"Goodness, goodness." Dumbledore chuckled. "That is quite a goal."

"Indeed it is. But I have taken it upon myself to do it, and nothing less."

"I say, my dear sir, I do indeed!" Dumbledore clapped like a child eager for a new toy. "I am similar in some ways. I seek to help. I am a teacher, you see. I teach children to learn, to run, to play. I teach them to grow and find themselves."

"An admirable goal."

"Indeed. But I must admit myself curious. You say you reform that which you believe yourself to be correct. Are your methods... unethical?"

Aizen smiled. "It depends on your definition of unethical. I influence that around me as a means to an end. Is that unethical? I act in a certain manner and let people make of that what they will. Is that unethical? If you go out and question a group of hardened criminals, you will find that not one of them believes themselves to be evil. You yourself, I suspect, have lied and deceived to reach your goal. It is human nature. I am me. Nothing more, nothing less."

Dumbledore nodded. "Excellent explanation. I shall be sure to think about that. But do you not think that there are certain acts, violations against nature? Cutting one's heart out, for instance. Or splitting one's soul into pieces. Certainly those are acts that were not meant to be performed?"

Aizen spread his hands. "These are abhorrent acts for sure. But are they _wrong_? I think not. Whose place is it to determine what is right and what is wrong? Only he who ascends to the greatest place. There is nothing innately _wrong_ about anything at all, I believe. It is a matter of perspective. If there were a way to rid oneself of all the lenses and paradigms through which we see the world, we would see a place of beauty, grace, and nothing else. Violations against nature to be sure, are only violations because we deem them to be so."

Dumbledore's eyes betrayed nothing. "Interesting. You know, your words eerily resemble those of another person I once knew. His name was Tom Riddle."

Aizen's eyebrow rose. "Oh, really?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes."

Aizen spoke, "Do you need anything else?"

"Oh, no," Dumbledore replied, smiling. "However, I believe I have found a way out of this place. It was a nice conversation, but now I must leave."

Aizen nodded. "I understand. However, do allow me to show you my home first."

Dumbledore laughed. "Perhaps another time. For the time being, good-bye."

Aizen nodded. "I see. Well, farewell."

Both men simultaneously turned and strode back into the mist.


End file.
